Winter is Coming: City of Fort Collins to punish violators of U + 2 in Avery Park
By Jason Sydoriak, ASCSU president
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Since the 1960s, there has been a chilling specter hanging over the city of Fort Collins. A specter that possesses those who largely put forward an effort to do good to ultimately break an archaic law. And now as the colder months come upon us, the city plans to proactively punish students who may be in violation of U+2 within the neighborhood of Avery Park. These are our peers and friends who are only trying to make ends meet within the parameters set by a community more concerned about this city’s perception rather than our most vulnerable. Without action, they may be without homes in the coldest months of winter.
The U+2 ordinance’s presence has mostly impacted the most fragmented of voters since 2006. It has eroded at the very confidence of the young insomuch as their engagement and contributions to government and community have ultimately been futile. It not only impairs our educational experience, but also the opportunity to be citizens in the fullest extent of contributing to definition of this city. The city has not taken their concerns seriously and now students have to cower in their homes, hoping that a surveying government doesn’t find them out for a harmless deed.
When I first came into office, I wrote a letter to students discussing a concept known as the social aspiration gap — that there lies a gap between the aspirations we have for the society we want to live in and the trajectory on which current attitudes places us on. Here at ASCSU, we have been devoting a great deal of time developing an initiative to place on the ballot for 2017, so that in the end, this archaic law, this specter, is repelled democratically. It’s up to our generation to realign this trajectory toward a vision that reflects the best wishes of all individuals.
Ultimately, this is about changing institutions. To have them reflect on the course culture is being propelled toward. We need a city that embodies its ideals and creates the foundation for an ever-changing generation so that students feel at home, despite the many miles they are willing to accrue in order to leave their mark on this world.
This is not just an attempt to get what we want, but also a declaration of a generation that our chance to define our lives and the society that they are a part of will not unfold decades from now, but in the very moment we stand. So please stand in solidarity with your fellow students of Avery Park. Engage with our offices on your concerns over U+2 by writing letters of how you feel it is an impact. But, most importantly, please register to vote in the City of Fort Collins. When 2017 comes, we will need the student voice more than ever.
Beatrice Krummholz • Dec 11, 2015 at 7:39 am
The majority of the city is already available for extra-occupancy rental housing. Keep your hands off the few remaining neighborhoods.
CollegianHacks • Dec 9, 2015 at 8:56 pm
U+2 just needs to be changes to limit occupancy to the number of bedrooms. Housing companies, already swindling students with obscene deposits and cleaning fees far higher than normal market cost, have houses with 6 bedrooms limited to 3 people. Housing cost effects can be mitigated using other methods, stop screwing over the lifeblood of the city’s consumption.
Charles Sorensen • Dec 8, 2015 at 11:37 am
All of the houses in Avery Park were built in the early 1960’s, and were originally constructed with two or three bedrooms.
Many of the houses (maybe the majority) in Avery Park are built on a crawlspace (i.e. no basement) and currently have two or three bedrooms, and one bathroom (sometimes two bathrooms).
Some of the homes in Avery Park have basements; additional bedrooms have been added in the basement in some of these homes.
To summarize the majority of the houses in Avery Park with more than three bedrooms are the houses with basements where additional bedrooms were added. The actual number of these retrofitted houses is a subset of the houses in Avery Park.
Many of the homes in Avery Park are owner occupied. Many of the homes in Avery Park are rented by
families. Some of the owner occupied homes, and some of the homes rented by families have more than three
bedrooms. None of the bedrooms in these homes are “unavailable” because of U+2.
Jason you need to know the answer to the question: “How many bedrooms in Avery Park are unavailable
because of U+2? “. When you know the answer please share it with the Fort Collins community.
When you share the answer then we will decide if there is indeed a “chilling specter hanging over the city of Fort Collins”.
Perseus • Dec 7, 2015 at 7:07 pm
This is poorly written political piffle. There is no justification for allowing whole sections of town to be turned into student dormitories and the U+2 rules are used effectively in many other college town, for good reasons.
mike • Dec 7, 2015 at 1:21 pm
There are myriad reasons for the housing availability and affordability crisis that all residents of Fort Collins face. The premise of ASCSU’s push to relax U+2 is a belief that U+2 reduces the rental stock, and thus increases rental costs. Based on this logic will ASCSU also address, and work to alleviate, the other factors that affect housing availability and
affordability. These include, but are not limited to, short-term rentals, CSU’s ever increasing student enrollment, or the “Best of” lists that Fort Collins constantly finds itself on which attracts ever more residents?
While any of these by themselves does not contribute to the crisis, collectively each has been argued as a factor. By addressing only U+2 ASCSU is only addressing what it feels is the easy solution without providing any evidence to
support its argument. For example, how many beds has U+2 taken out of circulation? What is an acceptable reduction in rent that ASCSU would like to see from these increased beds? Would the single additional bed that ASCSU is requesting (U+2 to Me+3) be enough to effect the desired per month rental reduction? Without data to support their argument, why should U+2 be relaxed? Especially since U+2 has done much to improve the neighborhood livability and quality of life of long-term residents living near CSU.
Addressing the housing availability and affordability issue in its entirety would be a worthy endeavor for your generation as it addresses an issue that impacts everyone residing in Fort Collins. Cherry-picking U+2 just comes across as an
entitlement issue.
Finally, to those that say that the long-term residents living near campus should have known what they were getting
themselves into when they purchased houses near CSU, let me turn that phrase around. The decision to attend CSU was a choice made by each student. Shouldn’t they have known what they were getting themselves into as well? Shouldn’t they have researched not just the University but the City within which it is located and its cost of living and
factored that into their choice?
U+2 is a fair compromise between the students and long-term residents living in impacted neighborhoods and should be retained.